


Iced Vanilla Mocha Latte

by CaitClandestine



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), All Time Low
Genre: Gen, Vaguely unfinished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:43:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5610892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaitClandestine/pseuds/CaitClandestine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5SOS take their prank war a little too far and mess with Rian's coffee and by extension Alex, who is a thief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Iced Vanilla Mocha Latte

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of those 'started writing so long ago that it doesn't even need an ending i'm just calling it done' kind of fics but WOO 2016 right

Before all their tours they unofficially get together about a week prior just to remind themselves how to play their songs; Alex to remember the words and Jack to learn guitar all over again and Rian appreciates the opportunity to get rid of the cobwebs, tinker with his drum kit and whatever new pieces he needs to integrate in. He tries to play pretty often in their downtime since it is you know, his one true love apart from his lovely lady.

Then, three days before kick off they book a proper rehearsal space to get all the important technical stuff done and some tour pre-gaming because that's how they roll. 

Usually it's just them and crew, but not this time. This time they're taking their little proverbial love children on tour. All Time Low with 5 Seconds of Summer – Get On My Boat tour. 

Or, if he reads through his Twitter mentions 5SOS with some shitty fucking band that shouldn't be headlining. Twelve year old girls are a force not to be messed with, but whenever he brings it up Zack just smiles and says they'll come around when tour actually starts. Rian hopes so because it's a little intense to be hated on so much, even with all the effort their own fans are going to to try and drown out the hate. They all make a concerted effort to keep Alex focused on other things, only letting him log on to under close supervision to tweet otherwise he'll just sit in the corner looking all emo and none of them have time for that.

So they're taking a couple extra proper rehearsal days to give the kids and their team a chance to blend in seamlessly with the ATL+crew machine. Mostly it's just Danny glaring at everyone who comes too close to his guitar corner and Jack goading the boys into a prank war, the latest event of which had left Zack with margarita mix instead of protein power and christ, only one of them is even old enough to drink here they shouldn't be ruining with them with their sex and liqour and letting Alex endlessly trade video games between hotel rooms. Rian's thinking they might just sign Alex over to 5SOS, maybe take Calum in exchange. He seems like the most level headed one.

For some reason they're doing all their prep in Colorado, which might have something to do with the marketing machine that is 5SOS's management which could be offputting but when they're staying in like, four star hotels and said rehearsal space is actually a rehearsal space not just an empty commercial building it's hardly worth complaining about. They can pretend they're proper rockstars just this once. 

There's also a Starbucks on the nearest street corner, which is all he needs to be happy.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's midmorning on a Wednesday and Jeff's been discussing lighting sequences with his Australian counterpart for longer than Rian cares to hear so he's now camped out in one of the little green rooms at the back of the building, lying across a fancy leather couch and messaging Cass on his Ipad. She's on tour in Tallahassee right now, suggests the toothpaste oreo trick and he promises to pass it along to Jack. He's not getting involved. Not too much, anyway.

Giggling in the hall outside catches his attention before Michael and Luke appear in the doorway, Michael with a tray of coffees in his hands. Starbucks coffee. Surely they'd been warned about the consequences of fucking with his coffee. The golden beverage rules of All Time Low; don't touch Rian's coffee, Danny's whiskey or Alex's capri sun. 

“Rian the light of my life” Michael sing-songs brightly, “We come bearing coffee care of Brian who needed to go stop Jack from trying to climb into the roof”

Rian raises an eyebrow, keeps his face carefully blank. Nothing Jack does suprises him anymore. 

“He said he wanted to be Hawkeye” Luke supplies helpfully.

Still not suprising. Maybe he should trade Jack for Calum instead.

He waves a hand at the coffee table and Michael comes in to plonk the tray down, pulls two cups out of it. One says, rather predictably 'Ryan' and the other is an unintelligible squiggle that might be Grieco.

There's a few more coffees left, which Rian presumes belong to the boys in front of him like they need more energy. They make him feel old. Rian Dawson, twenty seven going on eighty.

“You kids get along now” He drawls in a Southern accent, “And stay out of the roof or ceiling or whatever”

“Yes sir” Michael says, mock saluting him and Luke giggles some more then they look at each other and giggle even more and man, he is so, so old. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He gets exactly three sips into his iced vanilla mocha latte with extra cream when Jack starts incoherently screaming from well, wherever he is. Normally it's the kind of thing he'd ignore – a Jack is usually followed by an Alex, Brian not too far behind to make sure neither of them die but Alex has just stomped into the room grumbling about Jack kicking him in the face and stupid ceiling tiles and Rian thinks that maybe he should go and make sure everything's okay.

“Sit” He tells a surly faced Alex, “Drink Grieco's coffee, not mine”

Alex is a notorious coffee stealer. He hardly ever wants his own, always say he doesn't really like the stuff but fuck, you turn around for three seconds and it's gone.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack's stuck in the roof. Or half in the roof, legs dangling from the bar he's clinging to like an upside down monkey. When he stops screaming enough to explain it turns out that Alex had helped him up there, Jack had kicked him and Alex had disappeared so he couldn't get down. It's really a miracle that neither of them have killed each other yet.

Zack's there, arms crossed and smirking like this is the best thing he's seen all day. By the look of delight on Ashton's face it definitely is.

“Riaaaaaaaaan” Jack shrieks, “You'll catch me if I fall right?” Right?”

“Brian's gone to get a ladder” Zack tells him, “Sure hope he can hold on for that long”

“Fuck you” Comes Jack's voice, “If I fall and break my dick i'm gonna sue you”

Rian knows that neither him nor Zack would actually let Jack fall. They're standing practically under his flailing legs, close enough to catch him should he slip. Zack's just a tease. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian comes back and Jack is safely removed from the ceiling – after he'd been made to put the tiles they'd pulled down back and Rian leaves them, hopes Alex isn't draining his battery by playing Candy Crush or sending horrible innuendo to Cassadee like last he was left alone with Rian's technology.

When he returns the room is empty, his Ipad lying on the table beside his now empty coffee cup. Fucking Alex. Grieco's cup has disappeared, which he frowns at. Grieco doesn't have the best taste in coffee, too much sugar for his liking but at this point he could live with it. 

Now he's got no coffee and a quick look at the Ipad shows him a measly twelve percent battery and an open conversation with Evan about how he should learn to skateboard. Thankfully Cass has logged off, no messages sent on his behalf.

Rian sighs heavily, decides to head back the hotel. They're still setting up the stage, if they need him they'll call. He sends a quick text to Brian as he heads out, narrowly misses being hit in the head by a soccer ball that he's sure Luke didn't even try to catch.

“Rian!” Michael shrieks, bounding up to him cheeks flushed and a broad smile on his face. “How ya feeling?”

“Like none of you should play sport” He answers smoothly, “Or at least buy a proper football”

“How dare you” Ashton says lightly, “Soccer is the worlds game you know”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He's just taken off his shoes and plugged in his Ipad to charge when his phone rings, Alex's name flashing across the screen as he pulls it from his pocket.

“You drank my coffee what do you want” Rian answers with as soon as he picks up, not bothering with hello. Alex coffee stealing motherfucker Gaskarth. 

“R-Rian?” Alex's voice is thready, nervous.

“What's up?” He asks casually, because Alex being nervous isn't a new thing. He should be nervous, stealing his coffee when he knows that Rian will get revenge for it. 

“I dunno” Alex says quickly, “Like, I feel weird but not the usual weird and I might throw up”

“I'm at the hotel” Rian says, “Go bug Brian”

He's not really in the mood to deal with Alex, as bad as that sounds. Alex doesn't need him specifically, usually just likes to talk someones ear off about everything and nothing at the same time. 

“I don't know where he is, like there's no one here where I am and it's really quiet and I don't like it”

Alex's voice cracks a little at the end and something pulls in Rian's gut. He can't say what exactly, but somethings different. Alex can be confusing sure, but he likes being alone. Prefers it, actually. 

“Alex” He says slowly, “You're still at rehearsal, right?”

“Yeah” Alex responds, “I stole your coffee and took Grieco his and then I went behind the stage and now i'm like under it I think i'm not sure but there's lots of tables and stuff and - “

There's a thud and Alex cuts himself off witrh a little shriek. Rian's heart starts beating a little faster. Alex finds weird places to hide all the time, but again, he likes them.

“And I tripped over and it's dark in here, really dark”

“I'm going to call Brian to come find you, alright” He says calmly, “You're fine”

He hangs up before Alex can answer, dials Brian.

“Was just about to call you” Brian says as soon as he picks up. “Alex didn't go with you did he, I can't find him”

“He's still there, think he's under the stage or something, freaking himself out”

“I'll send out a search party” Brian says wryly, “Organise the cavalry”

Rian laughs, though he's not sure if he should. Alex is probably fine but still, he has a feeling.

“Thanks” He says, “Tell him to call me when you find him”

“Will do” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He gets another call some ten minutes later. 

“Rian” Brian says calmly, “Any chance you can come back here?”

Rian doesn't want to. Jack's there, and he's usually Alex's first point of call for feelings.

“Can't you get Jack?”

“Can't find him” Is Brians reply, “I found Alex though, he's hiding under the stage in the dark and refusing to come out, i'm not sure if he's having a panic attack or something but he's pretty adamant about me staying away from him”

Rian sighs, then promplty feels guitly. Alex can't help being who he is. 

“Give me five” He says into the phone, “I'll be there”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When he gets there Brian waves to him from the left side of the stage, then leads him down a set of creaky stairs into the dark by the light of his phone.

“He won't come out” 

“I've got it” Rian says, “Go and make sure Jack's not actually in the roof this time”

He knows Alex hates people to see.

It takes his eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness and another minute to locate Alex who's curled up underneath a stack of plastic tables, arms curled around his head and he looks terrified, eyes big and round and as Rian clambers through the mess of chairs to get to him the expression doesn't change and this, this isn't fucking right.

“Alex” He says gently, “Are you okay?”

The answer is obviously no but he feels compelled to ask anyway. He needs Alex to talk to him.

Alex just blinks at him and he's breathing roughly, almost panting, shying away when Rian tries to rest a reassuring hand on his knee.

“Hey” Rian tries again, “Talk to me”

“Ri” Alex whines, fingers pulling so tightly at his hair that it's got to hurt, “I don't like it”

“Don't like what?” Rian pushes gently, “What happened?”

“I don't know” Alex says pitifully, “It's not, it's not me but I can't make it stop”

He starts rocking back and forth ever so slightly and Rian's not afraid to admit he's properly worried. None of this is typical anxious Alex behaviour.

“Did you take something?” He hates to ask, because Alex is so against medication for anything, always gets the worst of the side effects but it's the only thing Rian can think of that fits. 

Alex shakes his head, fingers still tangled in his hair. “N-no, promise” He adds, “I wouldn't just please Ri, please make it stop” 

The rocking gets worse and Rian knws he has to get Alex out of here first. One thing at a time.

“I'm gonna pick you up” He says, “And we're going back upstairs, okay? Everything's fine, you're fine”

He wishes he were sure of that.

“I have to touch you though” He continues, “Is that okay?”

Alex nods shakily and Rian 's first move is clasp his hands over Alex's, pull them away from his head. Alex doesn't protest, just pulls his hands away and around himself. He's trembling from head to toe and Rian slides a hand underneath his knees to wiggle him out from under the furniture before he can properly pick him up. 

Once they make it back up to the backstage area Alex starts to struggle in his arms so Rian puts him down, gets a proper look at him in the dim light that's an improvement on the near darkness of before. 

Alex looks all wrong. His eyes are glazed and he's still shaking, shifting from foot to foot and wringing his hands as he steps back and forth.

“Come on” He coaxes, taking Alex by the elbow and trying to direct his nervous energy into actual movement.

He gets weird looks from some of 5SOS's crew as they pass across the stage and through all the road cases but ignores it, concentrares on making sure Alex is following him. He's gone quiet but still keeps trying to get away from him, out of his grasp. 

“What the hell is wrong with him?” Jack says as soon as they make it into the room Rian had claimed before and that worries him even more, because he's not the only one who can see that Alex isn't right.

Alex practically runs to Jack, launches at him with intensity and Jack looks confused and Rian just shrugs as Alex pulls back and looks cageily between them, then to the door. 

“Please make it stop” He says quietly, chest rising and falling like he's been running for miles and not a few steps, “I don't want to”

“Seriously dude, what the fuck?” Jack says again, and Rian just shrugs helplessly.

“I don't even fucking know” He replies, “I left him alone for five minutes to get you out of the roof and -”

It hits him suddenly. His coffee. Delivered by Michael and Luke. Who they're in a prank war with.

“Watch him” He tells Jack as Alex starts pacing back and forth from one corner to another, “Don't let him out of this room”

“What? Rian, where're you going?” 

“I think I know who's responsible” Is all he says before he strides out of the room. He doesn't bother to call the boys, knows they're not too far away by the echoes of laughter he can hear from the other side of the building, where some of the side doors are opened to the outside. 

He tries to keep calm as he walks towards them but he's always been overprotective of Alex and fuck, he's pretty sure they've put something in his coffee.

The four of them are still playing some version of soccer, grins wide as they see him and quickly falling as he doesn't smile back. There's nothing to smile about. 

“Hey” Luke offers tentatively, and Rian tries not to snarl. 

“Did you or did you not do something to my coffee” He says sternly, keeping his voice even beause it's not like yelling is going to help. He needs information.

“Um” Micheal squeaks, “Maybe?”

“You don't look very happy” Asthon says, puzzled expression on his face as he looks at him and then to Calum, who looks guilty.

“I told you we shouldn'tve” He mumbles. Rian continues to glare at them.

“And what exactly, did you maybe do?”

“It was Michael's idea” Luke blurts, “We thought'd be funny because we're in Colorado”

Micheal looks sheepish all of a sudden.

“We kind of uh, put weed coffee in your coffee?”

“You did fucking what?”

It's not the worst thing Rian can imagine but he's still immediately pissed off. Sure it's legal here now, mostly harmless and yes he's tried it but Alex meshes even less well with actual drugs. He hadn't been there on the apparently memorable occasion involving Jack, Alex and Vinny but he knows what happened. Alex and weed do not go together.

He can't fathom how they all thought doping his coffee would be okay, prank war or not. Even Jack's only ever stooped as low as putting viagra in Matt's tea once and he'd been tour-grounded for a week. 

“We're really sorry” Luke squeaks.

“Yeah” Michael adds, “It's legal so it's not a big deal right”

“Not a big deal” Rian echoes, grip on his temper loosening, “Sure, it's not a big deal that you gave drugs to someone who didn't fucking consent, someone who if you'd even thought about even mentioning it to would've told you that they react really fucking badly but you didn't, did you?”

He might be yelling now, but he can't help it. Alex is fucking high and freaking out and it's all their fault. He knows they're kids but how could they be so fucking stupid?

The four of them stay silent, heads hung low. Luke looks like he might cry and Rian doesn't feel even a little bit bad.

“Here's the thing” He continues, “I didn't drink my coffee this morning, would you like to guess who did?”

There's more silence.

“No?” He wants them to say something, anything. All he can be thankful for is that he's got more patience than Zack who probably would have them by the hair at this point.

“Come with me” He growls, turning on his heels wihtout waiting for a reply. They'll follow if they know what's good for them.

The door to the little room is closed when they get there and Rian turns the handle, apprehensive about what might be on the other side. He hasn't seen Alex high like Jack has, doesn't know what to expect.

Alex is still pacing, though he stops short as soon as his gaze lands on them. He looks quite possibly worse, errant strands of hair stuck sweatily to his forehand and he looks helplessly at them before he lets out a low whine and starts pacing again. 

Rian looks to Jack, who's taken up residence on the couch. 

“He won't stop” Jack says, “I tried but he just keeps getting up”

“He's high” Rian informs him, “These four thought the great next development in pranking should be putting weed in people's coffee”

Jack's eyes narrow as he looks behind Rian, to where he sincerely hopes all four of 5SOS are standing.

“You didn't” Jack says, looking back at Alex who has stopped again, one hand around his wrist, nails no doubt digging in like he'd been doing to his hair.

“No” Alex says, voice sharp and panicked, as starts to pace once more, “No, no”

Rian turns around to glare at the boys again. Michael's turned a very interesting shade of white under his black hair.

“Have a good look” He barks at them, “Look at how hilarious it is and then get the fuck out”

They don't have to be told twice, nearly out the door before Jack calls to them.

“Wait” - and the four of them freeze like cornered prey. “How much did you put in there?”

They all look at Michael, who turns impossibly whiter.

“It was in those little coffee pod things” He says in a faint whisper, “I think we put three?” He looks to Ashton for confirmation, who nods. 

Rian's brain flashes back to their Full Frontal episode, tries to remember the article he'd copy-pasted, how potent the stuff was supposed to be.

“Fuck” Is all Jack manages to answer with, hand rubbing over his face. “Rian's right, get the fuck out”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian and Zack turn up next and something about them sets Alex off even more, he bursts into hysterical tears at the sight of them, abandons his pacing in favour of hiding in the corner, curled into an impossibly small shape.

“Shit” Zack says, which is a good approximation for the situation. 

Rian's heart aches as he watches Alex cry and he doesn't know what the hell they're supposed to do.

“Do I need to call someone?” Brian asks carefully, and Jack shakes his head.

“He should be okay” Jack says, “But it's going to take a while to wear off, do you think you can get us some blankets and water and stuff?”

Rian doesn't think he's ever been so thankful for Jack as he is right now.

Brian closes the door behind him and for a minute the three of them just stare at each other before Jack sighs and they all look over at Alex, who's hand are scratching up and down his jean clad legs as he rocks. 

Jack starts to make his way over and Rian stays put with Zack. He's pretty sure Alex doesn't need them all around him but halfway across the room Jack turns, makes a confused face. 

“What are you doing, get over here” He says and Rian takes a step forward before he kind of shrugs.

“Is that the best idea? I don't think we should crowd him if he's freaking out”

“Hold me” Alex interrupts, and honestly Rian didn't think he was listening to them at this point so that's probably a good thing in the grand scheme of things. Still, he's not sure it's a good idea for all of them to be in his personal space, run of the mill nervous Alex isn't usually keen on more than one or two people nearby. 

“Please, Ri” Alex says again, voice cracking as he says his name and Rian's resolve instantly crumbles and he finds himself following Jack and helping Zack set out their little corner, pulling the cushions off the couch and Brian reappears with water and a few of their hoodies, setting them by the door and as Rian waves off his concerned look Brian just waggles his phone pointedly. 

Alex ends up tucked between him and Jack, who's taken both of Alex's hands in his own in an effort to stop them being everywhere and he's still trembling, head pressed tightly against Rian's shoulder.

“You, you guys won't let them get me, right? Promise you won't let them get me”

“No ones going to get past Zack and his muscles” Jack soothes, “And if they do Rian'll punch them and i'll try to touch their dicks and no one likes that”


End file.
